1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control-information detecting apparatus for a refrigeration air-conditioner using a non-azeotrope refrigerant composed of a high boiling component and a low boiling component. In particular, the invention relates to a control-information detecting apparatus for efficiently operating a refrigeration air-conditioner with high reliability even if the composition of a circulating refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as a circulating composition) has changed to another one different from initially filled one.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 48 is a block diagram showing the construction of a conventional refrigeration air-conditioner using a non-azeotrope refrigerant illustrated in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Published under No. 6546/86 (Kokai Sho 61/6546). In FIG. 48, reference numeral 1 designates a compressor; numeral 2 designates a condenser; numeral 3 designates a decompressing device using an expansion valve; numeral 4 designates an evaporator; and numeral 5 designates an accumulator. These elements are connected in series with a pipe between them, and compose a refrigeration air-conditioner as a whole. The refrigeration air-conditioner uses a non-azeotrope refrigerant composed of a high boiling component and a low boiling component as the refrigerant thereof.
Next, the operation thereof will be described. In the refrigeration air-conditioner constructed as described above, a refrigerant gas having been compressed into a high temperature and high pressure state by the compressor 1 is condensed into liquid by the condenser 2. The liquefied refrigerant is decompressed by the decompressing device 3 to a low pressure refrigerant of two phases of vapor and liquid, and flows into the evaporator 4. The refrigerant is evaporated by the evaporator 4 to be stored in the accumulator 5. The gaseous refrigerant in the accumulator 5 returns to the compressor 1 to be compressed again and sent into the condenser 2. In this apparatus, the accumulator 5 prevents the return to the compressor 1 of a refrigerant in a liquid state by storing surplus refrigerants, which have been produced at the time when the operation condition or the load condition of the refrigeration air-conditioner is in a specified condition.
It has been known that such a refrigeration air-conditioner using a non-azeotrope refrigerant suitable for its objects as the refrigerant thereof has merits capable of obtaining a lower evaporating temperature or a higher condensing temperature of the refrigerant, which could not be obtained by using a single refrigerant, and capable of improving the cycle efficiency thereof. Since the refrigerants such as "R12" or "R22" (both are the codes of ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers), which have conventionally been widely used, cause the destruction of the ozone layer of the earth, the non-azeotrope refrigerant is proposed as a substitute.
Since the conventional refrigeration air-conditioner using a non-azeotrope refrigerant is constructed as described above, the circulation composition of the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerating cycle thereof is constant if the operation condition and the load condition of the refrigeration air-conditioner are constant, and thereby the refrigerating cycle thereof is efficient. But, if the operation condition or the load condition has changed, in particular, if the quantity of the refrigerant stored in the accumulator 5 has changed, the circulation composition of the refrigerant changes. Accordingly, the control of the refrigerating cycle in accordance with the changed circulation composition of the refrigerant, namely the adjustment of the quantity of the flow of the refrigerant by the control of the number of the revolutions of the compressor 1 or the control of the degree of opening of the expansion valve of the decompressing device 3, is required. Because the conventional refrigeration air-conditioner has no means for detecting the circulation composition of the refrigerant, it has a problem that it cannot keep the optimum operation thereof in accordance with the circulation composition of the refrigerant thereof. Furthermore, it has another problem that it cannot operate with high safety and reliability, because it cannot detect the abnormality of the circulation composition of the refrigerant thereof when the circulation composition has changed by the leakage of the refrigerant during the operation of the refrigerating cycle or an operational error at the time of filling up the refrigerant.